Being A Teacher Is Tough

Photography for high schoolers, upcoming events, news from Life In Michigan, Substack suggestions and more.

Wait, Is That Dude Our Teacher?

Shy eyes glanced up from the blue glow of their mobile phones as I said in my best happy-yet-serious-teacher-like voice, “Welcome to an Introduction to Photography and Composition!” As those words trailed off into the ether and I looked at the faces around the room, I imagined for a hot second the teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. You know that scene where the kids are bored as hell, and the monotone teacher says, “Bueller… Bueller… Bueller...” I smiled while making eye contact with a few faces that seemed interested. My first photography teaching gig was off to a great start.

This will be my fourth year teaching a 3-day summer course in photography to high school kids. I got the gig thanks to my friend Charles, who actually was in my metal band, Battalion (back in the day). He knew I’d been into photography for a bit and asked if I’d be interested in teaching a short session to his Upward Bound students.

At first, I wasn’t too sure if teaching was right for me. I didn’t feel like I knew shit about photography. How could I expect to teach kids if I were clueless? Ok, clueless is probably an exaggeration, but I definitely didn’t think I was in a position to share what I know and make it meaningful.

However, for a number of years now, I’ve tried to take on the things that challenge me, such as interviewing people, concert photography, improv, and writing. Hell, even taking on a management role when I was still working was an attempt to push beyond my comfort zone. While I imagined the worst, for the most part, the pushing has led to good things. So after initially drafting a “Hey Charles, I’m sorry man…” email, I flipped the script, accepted discomfort, and said, “Yeah man, I’ll do it.”

The first go-round was a 50-minute session that I repeated for each grade level over a series of days. I called it a mad-dash introduction to photography. The focus was less on the technical aspects of photography and more on composition.

In my mind, the soul of photography lies in composition. You can know all the technical aspects of light and the components of a camera that help you properly expose an image. But without elements of composition—such as negative space, depth of field, color and contrast, leading lines, and, most importantly, perspective—an image is just an image, not a painting made with light.

That first class experience was definitely a mad dash, and I’m not sure how much help it was for the kids in the class, but I think a few of them had fun and learned. Honestly, it was hard to tell as most of the kids were pretty quiet. This sort of reception does not inspire a ton of confidence in a budding career in teaching.

After that first year, the class changed into a multi-day format. I think this was a bit better in that I could break down the components of composition and do a quick run-through of technical items such as the exposure triangle. In general, the classes have about 8-10 students.

I got the sense that most of the kids weren’t very into the class. A few were engaged, the rest reserved and distant. At first, I worried that I wasn’t doing a good enough job. Eventually, I let that slide and did my best to engage, be there to help, and answer questions for those who seemed to care.

This wasn’t my first attempt at teaching. When I was around 10, maybe 11, I enrolled my siblings in a Kung Fu class. I created lessons based on the TV show—you know the one with David Carradine in the role of Kwai Chang Caine. I can’t quite remember what all I was teaching. Maybe I was calling my sibs “Grasshopper” and relaying important Taoist wisdom. In any case, I should have been prepared for my most recent teaching gig, as my sibs appeared less than willing pupils.

Teaching happened to me again when I was around 20 or 21. My mom taught guitar, and she had a student who was 13 or so. He was diligent and thoughtful. He wanted to learn “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, and my mom suggested that he learn that song and rock music from me. You should know that my mom was a fabulous musician and a stern teacher. She knew music theory backward and forward. She just wasn’t much for rock music. Unfortunately, I never took the time or really had the inclination to learn what she knew. I could jam some power chords and play along to Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath (not well, mind you).

Here again, I was reluctant. Not because I didn’t love playing guitar and music, but I didn’t feel qualified to teach. Hell, I had no idea how to play “Stairway to Heaven.” The lessons lasted maybe three visits, as I think the kid was after more than jamming with some stooge who struggled to learn the music of Led Zeppelin. By the way, I’ve yet to learn “Stairway to Heaven.”

Teaching is hard for me. I’m not sure I’m really cut out to instruct others, but I have found it rewarding. Each of my dalliances in teaching (with the exception of Kung Fu) has pushed me to learn more myself. While I didn’t learn “Stairway to Heaven,” trying to teach guitar improved my understanding of music theory and my playing. Teaching photography has reinforced concepts that I’d perhaps taken for granted. Each class pushes me to find new ways to see and to try to share that with the kids. Without that push, I probably wouldn’t be well-versed in both photography and music.

Wish me luck this week as I head back to share my knowledge about photography with some high school kids. I still really don’t feel qualified (hopefully my buddy Charles isn’t reading this), but I am looking forward to trying to convey what I love about photography and what I think makes for a great photograph. Hopefully, the kids will get something out of it.

If you are interested in checking out my slides for the class, you can find them here. I’m open to suggestions, corrections, and comments. As always, thanks for reading.

Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss

Our events calendar on Life In Michigan is a treasure trove of events we’ve scoured the interwebs to bring to you. There are a ton of great events coming up. From that list, here are a few highlights:

First off, I hope everyone has blocked their calendars for Friday, July 25, and Saturday, July 25 for GIG - The Art of Michigan Music Visual Arts Experience 2026, part of Chelsea Sounds & Sights Festival. Spend the whole weekend with us!!

Mark Jewett and the Strategic Advisors with Jackamo at The Ark in Ann Arbor on July 9.

Michigan Twang: Americana and Country Showcase with Judy Banker at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on July 10.

African World Festival at Hart Plaza in Detroit on July 10-12.

Temple Of The Fuzz Witch with Bog Wizard, Solar Monolith, and Mothertomb at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on July 17.

Angel Of Mars with Megaton Communion and Ladyship Warship at the Paris Bar in Detroit on July 18.

Have you spotted zebra mussels at a Michigan beach, boat launch, dock, pier, or shoreline? A quick photo can help document where this aquatic invasive species is showing up across the state.

The second annual MiCorps Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Detection Blitz runs June 29 through July 12, 2026.

In Other News

My bird photo is still holding in the top 5 in voting! Help me stay in the running with a vote (you can vote daily). Drop by the Chelsea Art Alley (located between 105 and 107 S. Main St., Chelsea) to see it on display. Voting ends on July 23!!

Bird, Bird, Bird is the word here at Life In Michigan. Brenda shares the joy we have been finding this year, birding.

The Michigan Twang showcase at the Blind Pig featured some great friends and talented musicians with Winestoned Cowboys, Ananda Murari, and Jadyn Savage.

It was a day full of community celebrations at Sister Lakes Brewing Company as they celebrated their 10th anniversary, and we had the pleasure of checking it out.

Life In Michigan Podcast

Don’t worry, our chat with Haunted Mitten wasn’t scary at all. In fact, it was filled with lots of laughs and great stories.

Substack Restack Attack

Substack is where it’s at. Check out these other superb publications:

A Random photography adventure by Giles Thurston using the RBNXPLRNG app created by Marcel Borgstijn.

Letting Chance Choose the Route: A Random Walk, Two Cameras, and My Son

With teaching photography on my mind, this article at Inside The Photographer's Mind on looking beyond the leading line is great food for thought.

Beyond Leading Lines

Ok, I’ll admit it. I’ve never been a King Diamond or Merciful Fate fan. I always thought King Diamond’s vocals sucked. I thought the music was pretty cool, especially the playing of Andy LaRoque, but that was it. So with all that said, I never would have given Lex Legion the time of day had I not read this excellent review by The Metal Analyst . It is so well written that I was inspired to check out the music, and its pretty damn good.

Initial Analysis: "Lex Legion"

Adventures Yet To Print

Not too many adventures planned for the coming week. However, the following weekend I’m hoping to get out to check out the Temple of the Fuzz Witch show, and then we’ll be watching the Thunder Over Michigan airshow at Willow Run. Stay tuned!

Sunday Sip Flashback

Now that we have a couple of years of Sunday Sips under our belt, I thought it was time to dip into the archives for a Sunday Sip Flashback.

What Are You Reading?

Somehow, I missed out on reading Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler when they were first released in 1993 and 1998, respectively. That omission has been corrected. I’m a big fan of dystopian fiction, and these books rank up there with Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

The story takes place in California during 2026-2035, when the United States has gone to hell in a handbasket. Shockingly, this future world isn’t too far from our current reality. Homelessness, fueled by lack of jobs, mental illness, and drug addiction, has overwhelmed most of society’s safety nets. Most people are out of work. The only way to get help from police and firefighters is to pay them. The end result is that people either live on the streets or scrape by in walled enclaves where families in a given neighborhood band together for food and safety.

The story is told from the viewpoint of a girl (who becomes a woman over the course of these novels) named Lauren Olamina. She tells the story through her journal entries. Parable of the Sower follows Lauren as a teenager and young adult who suffers the destruction of her neighborhood and family. Yet there is hope as she finds others and begins to build a new community despite the harsh brutality of the world in which she lives.

Parable of the Talents is told through the journal entries of Lauren and her daughter. The brutality in Lauren’s life continues, this time at the hands of Christian zealots driven by a preacher-turned-president who wants to “Make America Great Again” (no shit, this is the actual phrase). Lauren’s hardships include being enslaved by the Christians in a re-education camp. These “godly” people then set about torturing and raping as they “teach” the word of their god.

I know this all seems so very grim, but throughout, Lauren’s strength and resilience shine. She eventually gains her freedom and once again is in search of putting together a meaningful life. Hope re-surfaces despite those that would enslave and take from others. Hard-working people find a way to work together to live their lives and help those when they can.

While part of me wants to believe this could never happen, there is a bigger part of me that feels that it can. It shows just how inhuman people can be to each other, particularly through slavery. It also paints a nasty image of Christian nationalism, which is actually a problem in our country today. This book definitely doesn’t improve my view of these followers of “God” as I can see them actually doing these terrible things to other people in the name of their god.

What Are You Spinning?

I recently picked up a very nice copy of Two for the Show by Kansas in a vintage shop. While I am a huge fan of Leftoverture and Point of Know Return, I’d never listened to this album. It is fantastic.

This live album finds Kansas at their apex. The songs selected cover all of their albums up to 1978. The mixture of tunes is fairly even with Leftoverture and Point of Know Return getting just a bit more love. The band sounds excellent, offering masterful performances, especially on my favorite songs “The Wall” and “Closet Chronicles.”

Kansas is one of those bands that I didn’t get into much beyond their hits until later in life. I’m glad I’ve added this gem to the collection.

That’s A Wrap

As my buddy Sturgill once said:

“Keep your head out of the clouds

And remember to be kind

And just stay in school

Stay off the drugs

And keep between the lines.”

Thank you for reading. Seriously, thank you! I hope your week is excellent! Don’t forget to kick out the jams!

Now, here is your moment of zen:

https://youtube.com/shorts/YQL69lMJBJU?feature=share